- Hardcover: 713 pages
- Publisher: Thorndike Press; Lrg edition (2 Dec 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 141042118X
- ISBN-13: 978-1410421180
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.7 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (364 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,845,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A Quiet Belief In Angels
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Product Description
My Weekly
"A meaty, involving drama which will catch you up in an emotional rollercoaster -- great reading"
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Review
"A meaty, involving drama which will catch you up in an emotional rollercoaster -- great reading" My Weekly "Very spine chilling... keeps you going right until the last page" -- Amanda Ross "A mesmerizing tale. R.J. Ellory's remarkable talent for probing the unknown establishes him as the master of the mystery game." -- Clive Cussler "R.J. Ellory is a uniquely gifted and powerful writer. The quality is his prose lifts A Quiet Belief in Angels far above genre." -- Alan Furst "There aren't enough beautifully written novels, that are also great mysteries. Like 'Dragon Tattoo', 'A Quiet Belief in Angels' is one of them." -- James Patterson "A riveting mystery; as compelling as it's moving. Beautifully written, with a bleak poetry that makes you yearn to read aloud. Think Salinger meets Chandler." -- Ken Bruen "Original and complex; the book will stay with you long after you've closed the pages and stared into the darkness beyond your own bedroom window." -- David Stone "What a discovery! Combining a poetic literary style with a stunning mystery story, R.J. Ellory will quickly rank with the best crime writers working today" -- Otto Penzler "Roger Ellory is a class act. If you like James Lee Burke or James Sallis, he's a writer who speaks your language." -- Val McDermid "No description can convey the spell he casts. His evocative prose sucks the reader into an odyssey. A novelist well worth knowing." -- Barbara Peters The Poisoned Pen "A Quiet Belief in Angels is a rich, powerful, evocative novel of great psychological depth." -- Jonathan Kellerman
--This text refers to the
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Despite its rather grim plotline - the story of a man who is haunted throughout his life by a vicious child-killer - this is a very good book which I enjoyed despite my initial suspicion.
The novel's narrator is a likable, multifaceted character, and the others characters are mainly very strong. I genuinely liked most of them, and yet simultaneously suspected all of them. It managed to keep me guessing as to the killer's identity right up until the last few pages - a rare feat for a book. RJ Ellory does a brilliant job of conjuring up an atmosphere of suspicion and fear, whilst setting it against the ordinary happenings of everyday life.
The writing is elegant and almost poetic in sections. However, at times I found it a little frustrating as it became bogged down in digressions or descriptions when I was desperate for it to get on with the plot. It also had a slowish start, although I did warm to it quite fast. As the story is narrated retrospectively it sometimes gave just a little too much hindsight, which did get annoying at times.
However, by the end of the book I was completely hooked and stayed up much later than I should have because I couldn't stop reading. It is gripping and compelling, and yet also manages to be thought provoking. This isn't a lightweight thriller - there is real depth to the characters and storytelling.
The subject matter (the murders of over 30 little girls) makes for uncomfortable reading at times, as you would expect, and the book is unflinching in describing the horror of these crimes. I found it deeply haunting, chilling and disquieting - the sort of book you lay awake thinking about.
Overall, a very powerful though somewhat upsetting book, which manages to combine a strong emotional element with a (mostly) page-turningly gripping plot.
The novel's narrator is a likable, multifaceted character, and the others characters are mainly very strong. I genuinely liked most of them, and yet simultaneously suspected all of them. It managed to keep me guessing as to the killer's identity right up until the last few pages - a rare feat for a book. RJ Ellory does a brilliant job of conjuring up an atmosphere of suspicion and fear, whilst setting it against the ordinary happenings of everyday life.
The writing is elegant and almost poetic in sections. However, at times I found it a little frustrating as it became bogged down in digressions or descriptions when I was desperate for it to get on with the plot. It also had a slowish start, although I did warm to it quite fast. As the story is narrated retrospectively it sometimes gave just a little too much hindsight, which did get annoying at times.
However, by the end of the book I was completely hooked and stayed up much later than I should have because I couldn't stop reading. It is gripping and compelling, and yet also manages to be thought provoking. This isn't a lightweight thriller - there is real depth to the characters and storytelling.
The subject matter (the murders of over 30 little girls) makes for uncomfortable reading at times, as you would expect, and the book is unflinching in describing the horror of these crimes. I found it deeply haunting, chilling and disquieting - the sort of book you lay awake thinking about.
Overall, a very powerful though somewhat upsetting book, which manages to combine a strong emotional element with a (mostly) page-turningly gripping plot.
85 of 90 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a book with a terrific plot ... in a small town in Georgia young girls start to disappear and then are found brutally raped and murdered. No one knows who the killer is and the authorities seem to have no suspects.
Jospeh Vaughan is a young man growing up in the midst of these killings. His father has just died and the first world war has broken out in Europe. He is struggling to come to terms with death as he sees it all around him. The murders of the girls affect him deeply and he is encouraged by his school teacher to write about his experiences. He calls together a group of friends to become 'Guardians' who vow to look out for and protect all the little girls in the area.
The murders remain unsolved, although we know from the beginning of the novel that at some stage - many years after the first killings occurred - Joseph realises who is responsible for the killings. Interspersing the main story chapters are mini-chapters which gradually outline Joseph's eventual confrontation with the killer.
Ellory is a great storyteller. He sets the scene for this novel perfectly - you're there in Georgia at the outbreak of the first world war, you can see the schoolroom where Joseph learns his lessons, you feel the anguish of the people of the town as little girls are taken and killed and no one knows who is doing it. For the first 200 pages I could hardly bear to put the book down.
HOWEVER ... [I'm keeping details vague here so I don't spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read the book yet ...]
After the first half of the book, you start feeling it's never going to end. There's so much repetition that you begin to skim over lines. I didn't get the whole 'Guardians' thing ... it seemed to me like a contrived attempt to make the novel into a 'Stand by Me' kind of story. I don't think that the 'Guardians' group was ever sufficiently established to justify why Joseph kept returning to it in his head years later.
One of the plot twists - what happens in New York - seemed bizarre to me. Why would the killer have done that? It wasn't in keeping with the rest of the story at all and in my opinion was a real weak point.
Although I did enjoy this novel it's never good to find yourself thinking 'get on with it now ... I'm getting bored' and I found myself thinking that a few too many times. Ellory just tries to keep you hanging on and guessing and it irritated me.
I've given this book a rating of 3 stars, but I think 3.5 would be fairer. It's better than an average read, but in my view the story is just too contrived to make it worth a 4.
Jospeh Vaughan is a young man growing up in the midst of these killings. His father has just died and the first world war has broken out in Europe. He is struggling to come to terms with death as he sees it all around him. The murders of the girls affect him deeply and he is encouraged by his school teacher to write about his experiences. He calls together a group of friends to become 'Guardians' who vow to look out for and protect all the little girls in the area.
The murders remain unsolved, although we know from the beginning of the novel that at some stage - many years after the first killings occurred - Joseph realises who is responsible for the killings. Interspersing the main story chapters are mini-chapters which gradually outline Joseph's eventual confrontation with the killer.
Ellory is a great storyteller. He sets the scene for this novel perfectly - you're there in Georgia at the outbreak of the first world war, you can see the schoolroom where Joseph learns his lessons, you feel the anguish of the people of the town as little girls are taken and killed and no one knows who is doing it. For the first 200 pages I could hardly bear to put the book down.
HOWEVER ... [I'm keeping details vague here so I don't spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read the book yet ...]
After the first half of the book, you start feeling it's never going to end. There's so much repetition that you begin to skim over lines. I didn't get the whole 'Guardians' thing ... it seemed to me like a contrived attempt to make the novel into a 'Stand by Me' kind of story. I don't think that the 'Guardians' group was ever sufficiently established to justify why Joseph kept returning to it in his head years later.
One of the plot twists - what happens in New York - seemed bizarre to me. Why would the killer have done that? It wasn't in keeping with the rest of the story at all and in my opinion was a real weak point.
Although I did enjoy this novel it's never good to find yourself thinking 'get on with it now ... I'm getting bored' and I found myself thinking that a few too many times. Ellory just tries to keep you hanging on and guessing and it irritated me.
I've given this book a rating of 3 stars, but I think 3.5 would be fairer. It's better than an average read, but in my view the story is just too contrived to make it worth a 4.
55 of 61 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Not a traditional thriller, this book is in a category of its own. The sense of place and social commentary create a background of small town living that makes the horror to come even worse.
Did I want to know who the murderer was? It certainly did not seem the most important part of this novel. Although I was glad that there was a resolution for the main character. His journey is a very bumpy one and he and the killer seem to almost be as one.
I particularly liked the whole innocent idea that as a small boy he could keep his community safe with the help of his friends. His own personal need to safeguard his next door neighbour makes the inevitable events even more shocking.
The delicacy of the writing and the way that you can see into the thoughts and feelings of the characters as they are slowly revealed makes this a very compulsive read. I highly recommend this.
Did I want to know who the murderer was? It certainly did not seem the most important part of this novel. Although I was glad that there was a resolution for the main character. His journey is a very bumpy one and he and the killer seem to almost be as one.
I particularly liked the whole innocent idea that as a small boy he could keep his community safe with the help of his friends. His own personal need to safeguard his next door neighbour makes the inevitable events even more shocking.
The delicacy of the writing and the way that you can see into the thoughts and feelings of the characters as they are slowly revealed makes this a very compulsive read. I highly recommend this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Couldn't put it down.
This book was passed onto me from my mother who had bought it accidentally (but is now very glad she did! Read more
Published 8 days ago by Mrs Book Worm
I loved this book
I was a bit dubious about the subject matter of this novel, but I was pleasantly suprised.
It is extremely well written (reminds me of John Steinbeck) and it is one of... Read more
It is extremely well written (reminds me of John Steinbeck) and it is one of... Read more
Published 10 days ago by GILLIAN PARRY
Fab service
Item arrived promptly, well-packaged and brand new. Great price. I really enjoyed this book too - full of suspense, and really well-written.
Published 25 days ago by kitkat66
Quietly Good
I've been waiting for ages to read this book but unfortunately it's never been stocked in my library so I eventually bit the bullet and bought it. And I was not disappointed. Read more
Published 2 months ago by nickyb
Don't bother
Slop. Dull, pointless, unoriginal; very difficult to believe in any of the characters or events; ludicrous splatter murders, stock types everywhere, ridiculous narrator and not... Read more
Published 3 months ago by JD Hulme
Reads like velvet
How can I describe this book. I think everything possible has already been said. I can only add and these were my first thoughts after finishing A Quiet Belief in Angels, it reads... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. M. Kennard
Wonderful
I have looked at the 5 star reviews and there's not much I can add to them,only this;if mankind does somehow manage to survive for another hundred and fifty years I think people... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dausubel
I don't get it
This was literally the most boring book I've ever read!
Having never read anything by this author before I purchased it based on the reviews here. Read more
Having never read anything by this author before I purchased it based on the reviews here. Read more
Published 4 months ago by jacqui
Georgia On My Mind
Unhurried slow-burn murder mystery mainly set in a small rather claustrophobic rural community.
The story unfolds at a leisurely pace over a decade or more. Read more
The story unfolds at a leisurely pace over a decade or more. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Rotgut
Gripping!
This was a first for me after a brain injury and I was immediately absorbed and gradually made a connection with Vaughan sleuthing as a child with his mates, unable to let go of... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Martin Shirley
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